Cyber protesters threaten to create fake letters of support for controversial Arborfield mini-town

Threats were sent to Arborfield Garrison - Residents Action Group, which has opposed 3.500 home plan

Cyber protesters have threatened to send letters of support to Wokingham Borough Council over the proposed 3.500 home development in Arborfield

Cyber protesters have threatened to use the identities of villagers to create false letters of support for Arborfield’s controversial mini-town.

The threat was sent to AG-RAG, the Arborfield Garrison – Residents Action Group, which has opposed the 3,500 home application.

The message appears to be targeting resident groups in leafy villages, stating areas like Arborfield with its “big houses” should be cleared and the land returned to nature.

The writer, identified only as John, threatened to disrupt the work of AG-RAG by sending fake letters to Wokingham Borough Council in support of the development and boasts “we’ve done it before”.

The email claims a “few dozen students” disrupted an action group in Sussex who tried to block a development and states: “Thanks in advance for giving up your information to the electoral record, residents, it will come in much use.”

The threat is being taken seriously by AG-RAG and spokeswoman Gill Purchase said the threat could “corrupt the whole process”.

She said: “We also know a local authority in Yorkshire had to contact more than 600 people when similar letters of support for a new Tesco store were sent by bogus residents in 2009.”

AG-RAG has written to the leader of the council Councillor David Lee and chief executive Andy Couldrick asking how the borough council intends to verify letters to ensure “the democratic consultation process is upheld”.

David Allen, the council’s partnership development officer, said: “There is absolutely no suggestion that the planning application process for the Arborfield application has been manipulated in any way.

“There have been only about 30 responses in support of the application and the clear majority of these have come in the form of returned comment slips posted to specific addresses – these could only have come from the householder to whom they were sent.

“The other small number has come via email or the online consultation system.

“There have been about 370 responses objecting to the application. Anybody is welcome to come to Wokingham Borough Council’s Shute End offices to inspect all the comments received.”